I would love to see a meaningful achievement system. Rather than being able to post a link for the sake of showcasing what achievements you have completed, you would have real in-game benefits that are relevant to the achievement obtained. For example:
Skeleton Slayer:
Requirement: Kill 10,000 Skeletons.
for
Benefit: Skeleton Smite: Unique attack that is only useable on skeletons. Moderate damage.
or
Benefit: Skeleton Mastery: Defensive boon that lowers all damage received by skeletons by X %.
or
Benefit: Skeleton Illusion: Gives user a short illusion buff that allows them to be non-aggro to non-boss skeletal NPC's.
and
Acclimator of Fire:
Requirement 1: Spend X amount of time under the effect of a fire debuff.
or
Requirement 2: Surpass a "natural" fire resist threshold; such as obtaining 200 fire resist without using any buff or item enhancing effect.
or
Requirement 3: Kill X amount of "fire elemental type" NPC's.
for
Benefit 1: User has a % chance to "resist" fire debuffs.
or
Benefit 2: User is granted a permanent buff of +10 fire resist.
or
Benefit 3: User is able to temporarily imbue their weapon with fire damage.
A system like this could be another form of Alternate Advancement for our characters. Rather than just grinding out XP and allocating points wherever we wanted, we would actually have to focus on working toward a specific requirement to earn it's associated benefit. I think this would be a great way to encourage players to revisit lower level areas in order to work on their achievements, too. Maybe there is a certain type of mastery buff that someone wants, but the NPC's required to get it aren't necessarily found in "end game" areas. Let's say, for example, that there is an end-game kobold boss. That boss could be in an area that isn't densely populated with other kobolds. If someone wanted an edge on this NPC, they could go back to a level 35 zone where kobolds are much more common.
This is the type of non-linear progression that I would love to see in the game. The benefits don't need to be that great, either. Just small incremental rewards that aren't going to make or break any specific encounter. The more achievements there are in the game, the longer our progression window remains in tact. Other than your standard combat achievements, there could be a variety of others, such as:
Auction House Connoisseur:
Requirement 1: Successfully complete an AH transaction with 250 unique players
or
Requirement 2: Pay 10,000 gold in AH fees
for
Benefit 1: Items placed on the AH have duration extended by 10%
or
Benefit 2: Broker fee for using AH is reduced to 7.5% down from 10%
and
Pantheon Devout:
Requirement 1: Sacrifice items at a Pantheon specific altar until X amount of favor is obtained
or
Requirement 2: Complete X amount of Pantheon specific rituals (maybe a repeatable quest of some sort)
for
Benefit 1: All items sacrificed at this specific Pantheon altar yield 10% additional favor
or
Benefit 2: Buffs obtained through favor system are 10% more effective, or last 10% longer
I think an achievement system like this could be well rounded enough to encompass all facets of gameplay, and reward players with a benefit that is directly associated with the type of gameplay that they enjoy the most. Again, I would want the rewards to be pretty small ... nothing big enough to have a severe impact on gameplay where they are "required" to experience certain content. In all honesty, I would actually prefer a system like this over the traditional AA trees. If you think about the many different types of achievements that could be programmed into the game ... this could be a great way to facilitate outward progression. It would also provide a significant boost to the replay value of the game as there would be a wide range of tangible benefits that could be achieved without the added burden of linear gameplay.
I have no problem with an achievement system that counts every little thing. If you don't like it, ignore it. If you like it, use it.
Nothing forces you to use it. Different people care about different things.
However, I would like to see some tangible benefit for the more significant achievements.
Beefcake said:I have no problem with an achievement system that counts every little thing. If you don't like it, ignore it. If you like it, use it.
Nothing forces you to use it. Different people care about different things.
However, I would like to see some tangible benefit for the more significant achievements.
What do you think about the idea I proposed above? The achievement system could be tied into adventuring, crafting, exploration, progeny, acclimation, diplomacy, player housing, pvp, prestige, raiding, trade, mentoring, basically ... everything. Balancing the rewards would be a difficult task but I think it would be worth it. It's an AA system that could be implemented early on with permanent room to grow. New achievements can always be added. Rewards could be tweaked if necessary. Maybe the RoP (Rites of Passage) will be something like this? Man that would be awesome.
Jimmayus said: Please god no achievement system like that. It takes the typical aa system, strips it of player freedom and instead forces them to tick off an arbitrary list of things. And you would reward them for killing 10,000 grey monsters! With actual player power! I had such a visceral negative reaction to this that I had to take a break at work to sit down and voice my distaste. At least the guys advocating for things like the Immortal title from WoW have the decency to not reward players with power and require some challenge. Those types of achievements are at least palatable, even if I think they're the equivalent of confetti like so many other things in modern mmos. Really, really against your achievement idea. Extremely distraught by the suggestion.
If someone posts an idea and you get "Extremely distraught" and have "such a visceral negative reaction to this that I had to take a break at work to sit down and voice my distaste", you need to take a step back and realize this is just his idea and nothing else.
Acting this profoundly negative about someone's idea is not productive to anyone. Everyone gets to voice their opinion, respectfully.
Jimmayus said: Please god no achievement system like that. It takes the typical aa system, strips it of player freedom and instead forces them to tick off an arbitrary list of things. And you would reward them for killing 10,000 grey monsters! With actual player power! I had such a visceral negative reaction to this that I had to take a break at work to sit down and voice my distaste. At least the guys advocating for things like the Immortal title from WoW have the decency to not reward players with power and require some challenge. Those types of achievements are at least palatable, even if I think they're the equivalent of confetti like so many other things in modern mmos. Really, really against your achievement idea. Extremely distraught by the suggestion.
I'm sorry you feel that way Jimmayus. I don't like the the idea of having an achievement system that awards mounts or titles like you see in every other game so I was just suggesting an alternative. I don't see how my idea strips players of their freedom ... they aren't "forced" to do anything. It opens up freedom in what type of achievement they want to focus on. With traditional AA trees where you just grind XP, you go to the best XP grind location possible ... and grind, grind, grind, and then grind some more. You can earn infinite amounts of "outward" progression while staying at a single campsite for a year straight. With my idea you would be encouraged (not forced) to travel through all areas of the game and focus on different gameplay elements. How do we know this isn't what the Rites of Passage will look like? My understanding is that the RoP will be a form of outward progression. You only referenced a single part of my idea which is killing 10,000 of something. What about all of the others? And what makes you think someone would focus exclusively on grey monsters? If I were working on skeletal mastery, I would hunt the highest level skeletons possible to try and get some good drops while I worked on my achievement. In some cases that might not be possible and players would decide to go to a lower level zone. Maybe it could be scaled so that grey monsters are only worth .1 kill?
I understand your concern of there being a huge list of things to do but I wouldn't consider them all arbitrary. Personally I would like a system like this very much ... the deeper the progression window, the better, for me. I'm probably the minority in that regard. I never played EQ1 but I wish I had because I've heard that it had a very deep AA system. EQOA had something like that as well and I loved EQOA. FFXI allowed you to relevel multiple times for progression. My whole point is that I want a system that takes a loooooooooong time to complete. In EQ2, you get X amount of XP and then you are done with your AA's. Your character progression is then completely limited to gear upgrades and systems like that drive me nuts. I'm just advocating for a system that allows players to continually upgrade their power over time. It doesen't have to be an achievement system necessarily. I'd be perfectly fine with an AA system like EQ or EQOA. I thought people liked those systems? Sorry for causing you to get so upset man just trying to share my perspective on this.
oneADseven I just wanted to reply and more appropriately apologize, the outburst was unwarranted and I shouldn't react that heatedly so I'm sorry man. Everyone who is dedicated enough to share their ideas deserves to be heard and their desires entertained. I hope you'll be gracious enough to engage on the topic with me still.
Jimmayus said: Yeah I guess I should have not replied in the moment, but my feelings remain the same. Achievements are something I believe are best done when they commemorate you completing a true game challenge. Killing 10,000 skeletons or selling to an arbitrary amount of people are chores. The problem with saying you don't "have" to do them is that they gate player power in your idea. Why does the 10,000th skeleton or the 250th sale make me randomly stronger? Those are just statistics, they're not challenging in any way. It's true that AA systems gate player power, but I believe the better way to diversify viable camps is to make the consideration of party damage types and climate preferences more relevant, not by punishing them for not grinding an arbitrary amount of monsters of specific types. Anyway, I still maintain my original position that achievements are very similar to appearance swaps on armor or immersion breaking mounts: almost universally low effort carrots that act as a replacement for diverse content. I would rather see dev time go towards basically anything else than stuffing pinatas full of participation awards and confetti.
"Why does the 10,000th skeleton or the 250th sale make me randomly stronger?"
I would imagine that after killing 10,000 skeletons, I would be more proficient at killing them than when I first started. I would also venture to say that after selling items to 250 unique people, I would be a more proficient salesman. There is nothing "random" about it. Practice makes perfect, right? The more you do something, the better you get at it. Would you rather have a heart surgeon operating on you that has 1 successful operation under his belt, or 100? Would you rather board a plane being piloted by a guy with 10 flights worth of experience, or 100? I understand the argument that the 10,000'th skeleton wouldn't be any more of a learning experience than the 9,999 that came before it, but that's why it's called an achievement. Why does earning the final XP point from a level make you stronger than all of those from the same level combined? The requirements/rewards could be scaled in a way that allows you to earn incremental upgrades to the benefits as you continue to work on the achievement. It doesen't have to be all or nothing at the 10,000 threshold, but I personally would prefer it to be that way to reinforce the idea of it being an "achievement."
"The problem with saying you don't "have" to do them is that they gate player power in your idea."
Isn't crafting, leveling, raiding, or questing all essentially the same thing? These are fundamental aspects of MMO gameplay -- those who choose to partake in them will have benefits compared to those who do not. Are you suggesting that players "have" to craft, level, raid, or quest? How is having an optional achievement system any different?
"but I believe the better way to diversify viable camps is to make the consideration of party damage types and climate preferences more relevant"
To your point, having an achievement tree for acclimation/mob type buffs would help with the consideration that you are looking for. If I were to play a cleric or paladin, I would probably spend a significant amount of time fighting undead as my class would have special benefits for doing so. To take things a bit further, imagine if my group has both a cleric and a paladin, and also a fire/ice acclimation buff from the bard. Now I just need to find a camp of fire or ice acclimated undead creatures. Oh wait, 4 players in the group have the skeletal mastery, and all 6 have the ice acclimation achievement? Man, a frozen skeleton camp would be perfect ... anybody know of one?
"not by punishing them for not grinding an arbitrary amount of monsters of specific types"
My idea is to reward certain behaviors or hunting preferences and shouldn't be misconstrued as a form of punishment. A punishment would be implementing a slew of universal debuffs on our characters that can only be cured by completing the various achievements. Are people without raid gear being punished for not raiding? Are non-crafters being punished for not crafting? Aren't they rewarded for creating an arbitrary amount of crafting items? Are level 10 characters being punished for not being level 50? Aren't they rewarded for earning an arbitrary amount of XP?
"Anyway, I still maintain my original position that achievements are very similar to appearance swaps on armor or immersion breaking mounts: almost universally low effort carrots that act as a replacement for diverse content."
I don't see how adding an achievement system would be "replacing" any content. In my opinion, adding an achievement system like I proposed would encourage players to experience as much content as possible. Rather than worrying about which camp has the best XP or drops, there would be other factors to consider. Maybe a group would be willing to take slightly less XP at a skeleton camp compared to a harpy camp because there are more skeletons than harpies later in the game. Or maybe they would prefer the harpy camp because half the group has a flying-creature mastery unlocked through the achievement system? My idea promotes non-linear gameplay. There is no right or wrong answer, but rather a variety of answers that people can choose depending on the question that they want answered. If a group wants the most efficient XP or loot run possible(upward progression), maybe they'll focus on camps where they utilize a couple mob-type bonuses or acclimation buffs that they have unlocked. If they're trying to become more well rounded (outward progression), maybe they will focus their efforts on a camp that can yield new mob-type bonuses or acclimation buff achievements that they have yet to unlock. Again, there is no right or wrong answer. A robust achievement system could accomodate both groups and provide strong replay value for many different areas of the game. A lot of people have asked for more options/alternatives when it comes to end-game progression. I think an achievement system like this could deliver on that in the most non-linear way possible.
I understand that my opinion might not be shared by the majority of other players. That's fine and dandy, but I felt it was worth sharing the idea, just as I have done with all of the other ideas I have for this game. The main thing I want to see in Pantheon is a truly deep progression system. I am the type of players that likes to focus all of my time on a single character in an effort to make them as powerful as possible. I really hope that there are enough progression opportunities in the game to keep me busy for a long, long time. I would be the kind of tank that leads XP groups every single day while I work on my progression. If I have a reason to be killing level 20 wisps, I'll be offering mentoring services to groups in that level range. Likewise ... if I have no incentive to be killing level 20 wisps ... you'll never see me kill a single one of them. I hope to see a world that is populated with NPC's that have a purpose. I hate going back to low level zones and seeing huge areas full of irrelevant content. NPC's that haven't been killed in weeks, months, or ever. When every creature has a purpose, the world feels more alive ... and my time spent in the world feels more meaningful.
oneADseven said:I would love to see a meaningful achievement system. Rather than being able to post a link for the sake of showcasing what achievements you have completed, you would have real in-game benefits that are relevant to the achievement obtained. For example:
Skeleton Slayer:
Requirement: Kill 10,000 Skeletons.
for
Benefit: Skeleton Smite: Unique attack that is only useable on skeletons. Moderate damage.
or
Benefit: Skeleton Mastery: Defensive boon that lowers all damage received by skeletons by X %.
or
Benefit: Skeleton Illusion: Gives user a short illusion buff that allows them to be non-aggro to non-boss skeletal NPC's.
and
Acclimator of Fire:
Requirement 1: Spend X amount of time under the effect of a fire debuff.
or
Requirement 2: Surpass a "natural" fire resist threshold; such as obtaining 200 fire resist without using any buff or item enhancing effect.
or
Requirement 3: Kill X amount of "fire elemental type" NPC's.
for
Benefit 1: User has a % chance to "resist" fire debuffs.
or
Benefit 2: User is granted a permanent buff of +10 fire resist.
or
Benefit 3: User is able to temporarily imbue their weapon with fire damage.
A system like this could be another form of Alternate Advancement for our characters. Rather than just grinding out XP and allocating points wherever we wanted, we would actually have to focus on working toward a specific requirement to earn it's associated benefit. I think this would be a great way to encourage players to revisit lower level areas in order to work on their achievements, too. Maybe there is a certain type of mastery buff that someone wants, but the NPC's required to get it aren't necessarily found in "end game" areas. Let's say, for example, that there is an end-game kobold boss. That boss could be in an area that isn't densely populated with other kobolds. If someone wanted an edge on this NPC, they could go back to a level 35 zone where kobolds are much more common.
This is the type of non-linear progression that I would love to see in the game. The benefits don't need to be that great, either. Just small incremental awards that aren't going to make or break any specific encounter. The more achievements there are in the game, the longer our progression window remains in tact. Other than your standard combat achievements, there could be a variety of others, such as:
Auction House Connoisseur:
Requirement 1: Successfully complete an AH transaction with 250 unique players
or
Requirement 2: Pay 10,000 gold in AH fees
for
Benefit 1: Items placed on the AH have duration extended by 10%
or
Benefit 2: Broker fee for using AH is reduced to 7.5% down from 10%
and
Pantheon Devout:
Requirement 1: Sacrifice items at a Pantheon specific altar until X amount of favor is obtained
or
Requirement 2: Complete X amount of Pantheon specific rituals (maybe a repeatable quest of some sort)
for
Benefit 1: All items sacrificed at this specific Pantheon altar yield 10% additional favor
or
Benefit 2: Buffs obtained through favor system are 10% more effective, or last 10% longer
I think an achievement system like this could be well rounded enough to encompass all facets of gameplay, and reward players with a benefit that is directly associated with the type of gameplay that they enjoy the most. Again, I would want the rewards to be pretty small ... nothing big enough to have a severe impact on gameplay where they are "required" to experience certain content. In all honesty, I would actually prefer a system like this over the traditional AA trees. If you think about the many different types of achievements that could be programmed into the game ... this could be a great way to facilitate outward progression. It would also provide a significant boost to the replay value of the game as there would be a wide range of tangible benefits that could be achieved without the added burden of linear gameplay.
I have to say in reading this over, I really like the idea a lot... It makes perfect sense that as you put in some serious time in something, you become a master or grand master. To me the small buffs for doing so makes the entire game worth being in all the time. I would imagine that this scope would go beyond just killing mobs, it could apply to a great many things and that is really neat.
187 I was thinking along the lines of buffs you could apply to weapons at any time (assuming you earned it with 10,000 kills). For example, you become a skeleton grand master, you could apply a buff that increases damage to bone and has a cool effect spinning around your weapon like small skulls and bone. Imagine the possibilities!
Jimmayus said:oneADseven I just wanted to reply and more appropriately apologize, the outburst was unwarranted and I shouldn't react that heatedly so I'm sorry man. Everyone who is dedicated enough to share their ideas deserves to be heard and their desires entertained. I hope you'll be gracious enough to engage on the topic with me still.
Not a problem at all man. Trust me ... I appreciate your response. There are always 2 sides to every equation and it's very important that your perspective is also realized. You are the kind of person that I am actually reaching out to with my idea. I am trying to weave my response in a way that might cause you to reconsider your perspective and open up to new ideas that you may have not been previously comfortable with. If I am able to pull that off, great. If not, there is certainly a great degree of merit to be observed by your stance. I totally understand how someone might not agree with a concept like I proposed, but if you'd even entertain the idea, I would feel happy. Again, I appreciate your concerns and hope that all who read this post can understand that I am not saying that this is a perfect idea. But take a look at it from my perspective and maybe you'll see a new angle on the system that might be attractive. Out of everything I posted, maybe there is only a single piece of valuable information that most people would agree with, and I would be perfectly fine with that.
Pyye said:oneADseven said:I would love to see a meaningful achievement system. Rather than being able to post a link for the sake of showcasing what achievements you have completed, you would have real in-game benefits that are relevant to the achievement obtained. For example:
Skeleton Slayer:
Requirement: Kill 10,000 Skeletons.
for
Benefit: Skeleton Smite: Unique attack that is only useable on skeletons. Moderate damage.
or
Benefit: Skeleton Mastery: Defensive boon that lowers all damage received by skeletons by X %.
or
Benefit: Skeleton Illusion: Gives user a short illusion buff that allows them to be non-aggro to non-boss skeletal NPC's.
and
Acclimator of Fire:
Requirement 1: Spend X amount of time under the effect of a fire debuff.
or
Requirement 2: Surpass a "natural" fire resist threshold; such as obtaining 200 fire resist without using any buff or item enhancing effect.
or
Requirement 3: Kill X amount of "fire elemental type" NPC's.
for
Benefit 1: User has a % chance to "resist" fire debuffs.
or
Benefit 2: User is granted a permanent buff of +10 fire resist.
or
Benefit 3: User is able to temporarily imbue their weapon with fire damage.
A system like this could be another form of Alternate Advancement for our characters. Rather than just grinding out XP and allocating points wherever we wanted, we would actually have to focus on working toward a specific requirement to earn it's associated benefit. I think this would be a great way to encourage players to revisit lower level areas in order to work on their achievements, too. Maybe there is a certain type of mastery buff that someone wants, but the NPC's required to get it aren't necessarily found in "end game" areas. Let's say, for example, that there is an end-game kobold boss. That boss could be in an area that isn't densely populated with other kobolds. If someone wanted an edge on this NPC, they could go back to a level 35 zone where kobolds are much more common.
This is the type of non-linear progression that I would love to see in the game. The benefits don't need to be that great, either. Just small incremental awards that aren't going to make or break any specific encounter. The more achievements there are in the game, the longer our progression window remains in tact. Other than your standard combat achievements, there could be a variety of others, such as:
Auction House Connoisseur:
Requirement 1: Successfully complete an AH transaction with 250 unique players
or
Requirement 2: Pay 10,000 gold in AH fees
for
Benefit 1: Items placed on the AH have duration extended by 10%
or
Benefit 2: Broker fee for using AH is reduced to 7.5% down from 10%
and
Pantheon Devout:
Requirement 1: Sacrifice items at a Pantheon specific altar until X amount of favor is obtained
or
Requirement 2: Complete X amount of Pantheon specific rituals (maybe a repeatable quest of some sort)
for
Benefit 1: All items sacrificed at this specific Pantheon altar yield 10% additional favor
or
Benefit 2: Buffs obtained through favor system are 10% more effective, or last 10% longer
I think an achievement system like this could be well rounded enough to encompass all facets of gameplay, and reward players with a benefit that is directly associated with the type of gameplay that they enjoy the most. Again, I would want the rewards to be pretty small ... nothing big enough to have a severe impact on gameplay where they are "required" to experience certain content. In all honesty, I would actually prefer a system like this over the traditional AA trees. If you think about the many different types of achievements that could be programmed into the game ... this could be a great way to facilitate outward progression. It would also provide a significant boost to the replay value of the game as there would be a wide range of tangible benefits that could be achieved without the added burden of linear gameplay.
I have to say in reading this over, I really like the idea a lot... It makes perfect sense that as you put in some serious time in something, you become a master or grand master. To me the small buffs for doing so makes the entire game worth being in all the time. I would imagine that this scope would go beyond just killing mobs, it could apply to a great many things and that is really neat.
187 I was thinking along the lines of buffs you could apply to weapons at any time (assuming you earned it with 10,000 kills). For example, you become a skeleton grand master, you could apply a buff that increases damage to bone and has a cool effect spinning around your weapon like small skulls and bone. Imagine the possibilities!
Thanks for the kind words Pyye. The possibilities are almost limitless. The major flaw in most games achievement systems, in my opinion, is that the risk vs reward of those achievements is way out of whack. Who wants to spend 2 months working on a task just to check something off from a never ending list? Where is the reward? A title? When I proposed the idea to my brother, he was sold on the very first idea. "I would totally kill 10,000 skeletons if it gave me 5% damage reduction against them." Beyond that, you could give players a choice in what they want. Maybe 1 tank wants damage reduction for a raid boss, but another tank wants the smite attack to improve his solo capabilities. It's almost like a huge quest book that you can start peeling the pages back on from the very beginning of the game. A book that you can get lost in ... with some memories much more favorable than others.
The best part, in my opinion, is how it can be universally shared between all aspects of gameplay. If someone wants to become extra adept at mentoring, maybe there is an achievement for that. If someone wants to be the evil faction extraordinare, hey, there is an achievement for that. If someone wants to master all of the trade skills ... you get the point. There are plenty of games out there that have robust achievement systems ... this is just a spin off from those systems that provides meaningful progression opportunities for those who choose to partake in it. If such a system were to exist, I for one would get more enjoyment out of every minute I spent in the game ... knowing that every action I did accounted for something that could eventually become special.
Although not a true achievement system, EQ2 had its Mastery system. Instead of killing a given # of a certain mob type, you had to collect uncommon/rare drops for each race, such as skeleton head, leg, arm, etc. When you collected a whole set of pieces, you gained a Mastery strike/spell that was only effective against that mob type.
There was actually just one spell/strike, but as you collected new races, that mob type got added to the list of effected types for the spell/strike.
I just can't see why an achievement should give you a power increase. It makes no sense to get a power increase from killing 10k monsters. The power only power increase you should get from killing monster is XP and gear.
An achievement is something you're proud of, not a chore that you're compelled to do because it gives your character a power up.
The goals you have, inside the game, should dictate what you do not an arbitrary check box or system that tells you to do something. If you want to raid, you work hard get gear, join a guild and raid, the rewards are the items you get and the bosses you get to kill, you don’t need systems to tell you, or any other player that you’ve done those things, the gear you acquired will be the indicator of your accomplishments. The same goes for any other activities in the game, farming rare items, farming rare mounts, etc. The only thing achievement should give are titles because somethings cannot be displayed with items so a title is needed. (Ex: world explorer).
Expanding on some of the other achievements that could be implemented. The idea could be used for all aspects of gameplay, so I wanted to add a few more non-combat (such as skeletal mastery or others) achievements to demonstrate the versaility of the system.
Guide of the Fellowship:
Requirement 1: While mentoring, successfully help 20 unique players earn 5 full levels of XP. (Only counts the player being mentored, not the full group.)
Requirement 2: While mentoring, successfully help 20 unique players complete 10 different quests from start to finish. (Only counts the player being mentored, not the full group.)
for
Reward 1: XP Bonus for mentoring can be applied to 2 members of a group at the same time, up from 1.
Reward 2: Players being mentored by a Guide of the Fellowship will earn 5% bonus XP from quests when they are turned in.
Of the Merchant Circle:
Requirement 1: Earn exalted faction status for all cities of the same alignment within a given region.
Requirement 2: Spend X amount of gold at a specific vendor type within a given region. (All potion merchants within the same region would count.)
for
Reward 1: New items become available to purchase for those who have gone above and beyond to protect and serve a specific region.
Reward 2: Permanent 5% discount on goods from a specific merchant type within a given region. (All potion merchants in the same region, for example.)
Senior Armorsmith:
Requirement 1: Successfully craft 50 high quality pieces of chain or plate armor.
Requirement 2: Spend X amount of gold at the supply/fuel vendor.
Requirement 3: Complete X amount of buy orders for the armorsmith trade coalition.
for
Reward 1: Permanent 1% bonus chance of creating a high quality piece of chain or plate armor.
Reward 2: Permanent 5% discount for purchases at the supply/fuel vendor.
Reward 3: Earn 5% bonus gold when completing a buy order for the armorsmith trade coalition.
Seasoned Adventurer:
Requirement 1: Successfully explore all Points of Interest within a given region.
Requirement 2: Successfully complete 50 caravan quests.
Requirement 3: Successfully capture/kill all of the NPC's within a given region that have a bounty on their head.
for
Reward 1: Allows player to create special Point of Interest markers on their map. Can add written notations to starred areas such as an ideal harvesting location, rare NPC, or favorite faction farming or XP camp.
Reward 2: Can hire (for a fee) regional caravan teams to transport merchandise from 1 regional bank to another.
Reward 3: Earn a permanent 10% discount on food/beverages at all of the taverns within a given region. 25% discount for staying at an inne or lodge within the same region.
VIP Banker
Requirement 1: Successfully deposit X amount of gold into a regional bank.
Requirement 2: Unlock all bank vaults within a specific region.
for
Reward 1: Allow players to purchase a Certificate of Deposit at a specific regional bank. (Player can deposit 10,000 gold into a CD account, earning 2% interest on their funds over the course of 9 months of in-game playtime. These numbers are just an example, can be tweaked to whatever is appropriate.)
Reward 2: Allow players to customize their bank vaults, such as sorting them by crafting materials, gear or consumables. Open up more slots in each vault, so as long as they are used exclusively for the specific item property type that the vault was labeled. Crafting materials vault, for example, would have 20% more space as long as it's used to soley store crafting materials.
The more I start to think about the idea, I think it would be pretty cool if there are several "convenience" factors that can be unlocked. As we all know, Terminus is going to be a tough world to live in, and VR wants Pantheon to be a game that is less forgiving or convenient than most other MMO's on the market. My idea is to allow players to unlock several convenience factors after they put in the work. I wouldn't want it to get to the point where it gets out of hand, but be more like teleport spires/portals or backdoor zone entrances. These generally require a quest of some sort (or physically traveling to locationg before able to port there) in order to utilize ... maybe there are certain convenience related gameplay elements that veteran players can unlock. These would all feel very rewarding to me and would have a noticeable impact on my gameplay. The deeper this system gets, the more time I want to spend in Terminus ... and the more rewarding that time would feel.
Kilsin said:I wouldn't personally like a ton of achievements that just pop every 5 seconds when you take a step or open your bag etc. but I would like a title system that shows your achievements in the form of a title next to your name.
At least with titles you can toggle them on or off and still gain respect for wearing a very hard to get title making you the envy of everyone around you ;)
But nothing too over done like WoW, that system was just too easy-mode in my opinion.
Hey Kilsin,
That reminds me of a weird Title system I designed long ago that never took flight. Seems to be too difficult to implement.
3.5.6 Title Fights
There are many “Titled” NPCs throughout the world and offer groups and guilds a great challenge and excellent rewards. However, if one brave warrior were to try and win against one of these Titled Bosses, they would gain something far beyond what any group could.
Solo Defeating a Title Boss
If a player were to single handedly defeat a Title Boss, that player would obtain the title of that boss and take its place. A copy of the player will stand as the new Title Boss and fight anyone daring to challenge, using all skills that were used to defeat the original Title Boss. If this copy is defeated however, that title will vanish as well as all bonuses and perks that came with it and the original Title Boss returns. While the player’s copy stands, the player gains bonuses and perks according to the title they hold. A player may not hold more than one title and upon defeating a second Title Boss while already holding a title, they will be prompted for which one they want to keep. If a title is forfeited, the player’s copy is killed on spot and the original Title Boss for that title is returned.
Jimmayus said: I just don't think this is appropriate for achievements, it's conflating them with an AA system in a way I would hate to be subjected too. The problem to me is that an achievement should be something few people do because it's difficult, and the reward you get is the ability to show off that you did it. When you start getting into an overly formatted system of mundane tasks that provide power they're no longer impressive, they're jus lt required.
Whenever people don't like any idea, they call it a waste of dev resources and claim no one will use them. Some people would say crafting is a waste. Others will say alts are a waste. Others may say gear and leveling is a waste.
There types of system are popular and truly optional. The devs put in many systems to keep a variety of playstyles engaged. For some, the final of exploration keeps them engaged. For others, titles/achievements for exploration keep them engaged.
Pantheon is not just for realism/minimalist purists. Thankfully, the devs have their plans and will implement them as they see fit without giving in to the extremists on either side.
Beefcake said:Whenever people don't like any idea, they call it a waste of dev resources and claim no one will use them. Some people would say crafting is a waste. Others will say alts are a waste. Others may say gear and leveling is a waste.
Not true, things like gear, levelling, and alts, are core foundations of the game, therefore it’s not a waste of the devs time, and it’s a required time investment for the game to work. On the other hand an achievement system as detailed as the one proposed above is not a necessity for the game to work properly.
Beefcake said:There types of system are popular and truly optional. The devs put in many systems to keep a variety of playstyles engaged. For some, the final of exploration keeps them engaged. For others, titles/achievements for exploration keep them engaged.
They stop being optional from the moment they give an increase in the characters power.
These system do not need to exist for those activities to be possible, if you think something is worth your time then go and do it, the rewards are still there. And showing off your accomplishments can be done through things like titles and gear. No need for an actual system to tell people what you’ve done.